Melitta (Cilissa) engeli Michez

Michez, Denis, Kuhlmann, Michael, Ivanov, Sergey P. & Radchenko, Vladimir G., 2012, Description of four new species in the bee genus Melitta Kirby, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), Zootaxa 3337, pp. 57-67 : 61-62

Melitta (Cilissa) engeli Michez sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype male, Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum (Linz, Austria, OOLL): Kyrgyzstan, Talasskaya Oblast, Talass gebirg, am Fluss Ara-Byik, 42°23’28’’N 70°58’34’’E, 2050–2150m, 03.vii.1998, leg. H. & R. Rausch (98/01). Paratype male, OOLL: Kirghizia, Transalai Mt. R. W Part, Berksu river gorge, 39°28’N 72°01’E, 2600m, 19.vii.1998, leg. S. Zonstein. Paratype male, American Museum of Natural History (New York, USA, AMNH): Kyrgyzstan, Osh, Guilcha ravin, 50km SSW Gultcha, 39°52’17’’N 73°21’26’’E, on Gulcha sp. (?), 07.vii.2000, leg. M.S. Engel.

Etymology. Named after Michael S. Engel, who collected a part of the type material.

Diagnosis. M. engeli shows diagnostic features of the subgenus Cilissa : scutum smooth between punctures, male S7 with apicolateral structure blade-shaped and gonostylus shorter than gonocoxite. M. engeli is closely related to M. dimidiata . Both species have an apically pointed galea and the apical plate of S8 is shaped like a triangle. Melitta engeli can be distinguished from M. dimidiata by unexpanded vertex, face with lateral black hairs, S8 with a few short hairs and different shape of genitalia ( Fig. 5 ).

Description 3 ( Fig. 5 ). Body length: 8.5 mm. Head. L = 2.4 mm. W = 2.7 mm. Cuticle black, densely punctate (d>i), smooth between punctures. Antenna blackish. Galea pointed and shiny. Glossa as long as labial palpus. Face and vertex with whitish hairs and narrow lateral black fringe along the compound eye ( Fig. 5 c). Mesosoma. L = 3.3 mm. W (between tegulae) = 2.4 mm. Cuticle black. Scutum densely punctate (d>i) except in the medio-posterior part (i>d). Scutellum sparsely punctate anteriorly (i>d). Posterior part of scutellum, metanotum and propodeum mat and densely punctate. Propodeal triangle mat and sculptured. Scutum with reddish hairs and a few black hairs intermixed. Mesosoma ventrally with whitish hairs. Legs. Black except for reddish medio- and distitarsi. Pilosity whitish. Wings. Hyaline. Metasoma. L = 4.5 mm. W = 3 mm. Cuticle black and shiny. Terga and sterna densely punctate. T2–5 with apical hair bands. Disc of T1–3 with whitish erect hairs. Disc of T4–6 with black hairs. Prepygidial fimbria laterally white and medially black. S6 with dense apical pilosity. S7 with apicolateral plate and apicolateral fringes of long simple hairs ( Fig. 5 d, these hairs are only visible on the right of the illustrated specimen, the left part was destroyed). S8 with disc almost hairless ( Fig. 5 e). Apical plate of S8 triangular shaped in apical view. Genitalia with gonostylus shorter than gonobase ( Fig. 5 f).

Ƥ. Unknown.

Distribution. Probably endemic to mountain regions of Kyrgyzstan.

Comment. Like Melitta bicollaris , M. engeli seems to be a montane endemic species derived from M. dimidiata ( Michez & Eardley 2008) . The very unusual shape of the S8 apical plate supports the view that M. dimidiata and M. engeli are sister species. Moreover, M. engeli is not the only species endemic to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan: Melitta fulvescenta is restricted to the same region although the type locality is in China but very close to the Kyrgyz border (Appendix 1; Wu 2000).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Melitta engeli sp. nov. Male; a. Habitus in dorsal view (scale = 1.5 mm); b. Habitus in lateral view (scale = 1.5 mm); c. Head in frontal view (scale = 1.2 mm); d. Sternum 7 in ventral view (scale = 0.25 mm); e. Sternum 8 in ventral view (scale = 0.4 mm); f. Genitalia in ventral view (scale = 0.4 mm).